Wicked Nature - The Vines - Album Review

I know what you’d be thinking, after 12 years & a pretty bumpy relationship with the media, The Vines would be tipping towards ‘irrelevant has-beens’ on the topic scale. Inconsistent albums, lack of touring, and Craig Nicholls’ awkward-yet-cute demeanour with the public couldn’t keep the moniker afloat (Or NME falling at their knees) forever, but it seems that he’s tackled all of these issues head-on with ‘Wicked Nature’, the first album from the The Vines in over 3 years.

Gone is the once well-established lineup from the previous 3 albums, and so is the electronic influence we heard on 2011’s ‘Future Primitive’. What we are left with essentially is a rejuvenated, completely new reincarnation (undeliberate track pun) of the band, & they sound a lot fresher than they have in years. With Nicholls’ new additions Tim John (Bass) & Lachy West (Drums) making their debut with the band on this double-album, it’s a whole new playing field for the first time in a while for the group.

‘Wicked Nature’ is a loose concept written about life in Sydney suburbia (‘Green Utopia’) through Nicholls’ personal experiences with love & life. Lyricism within

the album frequently revolves around Nicholls’ inabilities to understand the basic concepts of his peers & surroundings (Slightly Alien, Everything Else, Darkest Shadow etc.), whilst also being emotionally ruthless in what comes across as the denial from entering a relationship. For a lead single to include lines like ‘Once could never deny you//now I wish you were dead’, Nicholls is being abruptly upfront & doesn’t seem to give a shit who knows.

Whilst Nicholls may seem to consistently focus on very specific topics in different manifestations & aspects, the music denies confining itself to a median. There have always been two sides to The Vines monster, and with ‘Wicked Nature’; it is clearly distinguished between each ‘parts’ (Disc 1 & 2) as to what disc represents style/genre.

Playing along the lines of Foo Fighters 2005 release ‘In Your Honour’, ‘Wicked Nature’s discs are divided into a hard/soft contrast. The first disc being your stereotypical Vines album (Majority grunge-pop garage rock, with a handful of acoustic tracks), and the second basically being vice-versa.Given this is a double album, this is more than enough time needed for Nicholls’ to play around & expand on different genres to display his craftsmanship in songwriting.

The further you immerse yourself into the album, the more your mind starts to wander around everything being presented to you. Acoustic ballads (Venus Fly Trap), 60’s garage bursts (Love Is Gone), 90’s grunge blazers (Psychomatic), and a dash of neo-psych (Into The Fire) smash it all together into a 52-minute haze, and the result is 22-tracks of garage goodness. Not much more to it, pure & simple.

Given the past handful of releases being undoubtedly patchy in all areas, ‘Wicked Nature’ is a breath of fresh air into The Vines ageing discography. You may be receiving a lot of what’s been said & done before, but at least you’ll have the assurance knowing it’s being done the right way, by the right band.

Review by Brady Hawes

#thevines #wickednature #albumreview #bradyhawes